June 13, 2015

PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh: Allegheny County and Allegheny Health Network to collaborate

On Friday, county Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced that the two would combine to manage the medical services at Allegheny County Jail. They hope to improve the overall safety of the inmates.

Pittsburgh: Innovators take playbook to national audience

The Sprout Fund, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that supports grassroots projects, took tools designed by the Children’s Museum, Carnegie Mellon’s Create Lab and Elizabeth Forward School District to the National Maker Faire at the University of the District of Columbia, an event that promotes creativity over consumption.

Philadelphia: Maternal mortality higher than national average

Philly’s maternal mortality rate is about 50 percent above the average, with the majority attributed to natural causes related to childbirth. Poverty, violence and addiction had an effect on the mothers’ health, according to the study.

GE Transportation will build 100 locomotives in Erie and Grove City and then sell them in Angola for $350 million, thanks to financing from the national Export-Import bank. However, it could be one of the bank’s last deals, as its charter expires June 30 unless it goes up for reauthorization in Congress.

Statewide: Takeaways from the EPA’s study on fracking

Although the study claims that fracking doesn’t cause widespread problems, there is still evidence of contaminated drinking water. Results could also be skewed because there are few baseline tests, so how, where and when the water gets contaminated is still largely unknown.

Statewide: Obtaining lethal injection drugs

While other states have sparked national controversy on their less-than-legal means to acquire the drugs, Pennsylvania Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said the state doesn’t have the drugs to perform a lethal injection, and he anticipates difficulty in procuring them when the time comes.

NATIONAL

One in five college women experience sexual assault

A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that one in five women have been violated in the last four years on a college campus. Overall, a quarter of women and seven percent of men report they’ve experienced an assault in college.

Baltimore’s broken relationship with law enforcement

At least 55 people have been murdered in Baltimore since May 1 in dangerous neighborhoods that have experienced a diminished police presence. The citizens are calling for better policing.

House Democrats reject key proponent of trade bill

President Obama’s global trade agenda suffered a setback Friday. It was the House Democrats who punted the bill, and House Republicans indicated they may try to get it back on track next week.

‘Angola 3’ prisoner’s release blocked

A federal appeals court has blocked the court-ordered immediate release of Albert Woodfox, a former Black Panther leader who’s been in solitary confinement since 1972. He was twice convicted of the murder of a prison guard, but both convictions were overturned.

IN OTHER NEWS

Four things ‘Game of Thrones’ can learn from American economics

Tomorrow is the season finale of the HBO show: Four top economists outline ways that Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms could improve their cash flow.

The daily report was compiled by Stephanie Roman, a PublicSource intern. You can reach her with questions or suggestions at sroman@publicsource.org.

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After three fatalities in the last week, including a woman who was killed in a bicycle-car accident in the Oakland area, Bike Pittsburgh is petitioning for immediate safety changes. The group is asking for adjustments such as speed bumps, educational programs and traffic enforcement so bikers and motorists can better share the road.